


Iridescent

by Gtop_ps03



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: A LOT of Angst, F/M, Kidnapping, Kinda Fluffy, M/M, Minor Character Death, Random references, to really random things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-16
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-10-19 18:05:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 11,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10645197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gtop_ps03/pseuds/Gtop_ps03
Summary: Luhan is kidnapped. Sehun freaks out. So does everyone else. Chaos ensues.





	1. Chapter 1

**LUHAN**  
**It was cold. Freezing actually. Snow wasn't always ideal. It made your nose cold and it made your teeth chatter. He looked over at Sehun. He seemed fine as always. Calm and composed, not caring when the wind messed up his hair. Luhan's eyes trailed downwards. His lips. They were so.... Urghh he shouldn't be thinking of that. Ever since they kissed a week ago he couldn't stop thinking about Sehun. And his lips. How they felt on his, the taste of his mou-.....**  
**Luhan's inner repertoire was interrupted by a loud shriek.**  
**"Oh my God it’s a bubble tea place. Can we get bubble tea? Please hyung!" He turned to see Sehun jumping up and down like a 5 year old, pointing at the bubble tea shop.**  
**There you have it ladies and gentlemen- Oh Sehun, ever the charmer.**  
**"Sehunnie we go there every week why do you look so excited?"**  
**"Cause its _bubble_ tea. Please hyung, I'll do anything." Sehun said, pouting.**  
**They suddenly realized how close their faces were and jumped apart. Sehun's cheeks were flushed red. Luhan couldn't tell if it was because of the cold, or embarrassment.**  
**"Uhh... Okay yeah let's go to the bubble tea place. Yeah that's fine. I guess." Luhan stammered out words in agreement.**  
**The atmosphere was awkward as they entered the shop, an uncomfortable silence taking over.**  
**"Hyung you're getting the usual right? I'll go order for us."**  
**Sehun walked to the counter when Luhan nodded in agreement. Luhan was busy staring at Sehun's retreating back when his phone rang. He went outside the shop to answer it. Cellphones weren't allowed inside. He picked up the call from an unknown number and-**

The door rattled open. Luhan‘s musings were intervened and he was back in his old, cold cellar.  
“How long do we keep him here?” A man with a husky voice asked. Luhan had been in this room for almost a day, blind-folded, hands tied to his chair and completely knocked out. He had neither any memory of entering this room nor any idea as to why he was kidnapped.  
“Until he comes to us.” A man, who obviously sounded like the boss, replied. Luhan could sense a tinge of vengeance in his strong voice.  
“Why am being I kept here?” Luhan spoke softly, his voice cracking from the lack of water.  
“Remove his blindfold.” The boss ordered.  
He opened his eyes slowly, his iris adjusting to the dim light. “Why am I here?” Luhan repeated his question. “What do you want from me? What have I ever done to you?”  
The venomous laughter which filled the room, made Luhan shiver. Now that his eyes were open, he looked around. The room was dark with only a small, dim light in the center where Luhan’s chair was kept. There was a door in front of him and beyond the door was just darkness. Pitch black.  
The boss came closer to Luhan and bent till his face was as the same level as of Luhan. “Oh no, sweetheart!” He held Luhan’s chin in his strong grip, not allowing him to move his face. “It is not you who has done something. It’s your Oh! So great boyfriend.”  
Shock erupted in Luhan’s body. His body went stiff. Boyfriend? What boyfriend? Does he mean.....Sehun? His Sehunnie? No that is not possible. His Sehunnie would never do anything wrong to anybody.  
“And when we get to him, you shall be free. But till then, why don’t we get you ready for Sehun?” The boss pronounced. That’s when he felt an immense pain on his face.

 **SEHUN**  
"Luhan hyung I've got our bub-.. Huh?" _He must've gone to the washroom or something. I'll just wait here then._  
Two minutes. Five minutes. Ten minutes. Still no sign of Luhan. _Where did he go? Did he bail on me? Nah...Hyung's not like that. Maybe something happened at home?_  
He tried his phone atleast ten times. No answer.  
Sehun, worried for his doe-eyed hyung called Luhan's brother.  
"Hey Tao! Is Luhan hyung at home?"  
_"Lu-ge? He said he was going somewhere with you. Is he not with you?"_  
"We came to this bubble tea shop. I went to get us drinks and when I came back he was gone! And you're saying he's not at home either. Shit. Where is he? This is bad. This is very bad."  
_"Sehunnie. You have to calm down. I'll call the others and come there. In the meantime you search the area around the shop. Maybe he's in one of the shops. You know how Lu-ge gets when he sees cute things."_  
"Yeah okay. I'll... I'll do that. Get here soon"  
Sehun rushed out of the shop. Bubble tea long forgotten. Luhan was his priority. He searched all the stored nearby. There was so sign of Luhan. He slowly trudged back to the bubble tea shop, disheartened. Right outside the shop door he saw something. Something lying on the ground.  
_Isn't that.... Luhan hyung's phone? Yeah... it is._  
Sehun bent down to pick up the phone. The screen was cracked, but it switched on when he pressed the home button. With shaky fingers, he typed in the passcode (of course he knew it, it was Luhan's date of birth). He opened the call log. On the top of the log was an unknown number. 7:46 it said. That was around the time they went to the bubble tea shop. Luhan must've gone outside to answer the call. Out of curiosity, Sehun called the number.  
After three rings, someone picked the phone. They didn't say anything.  
"Hello" Sehun said hesitantly.  
_"Ahhh Sehunnie...its you"_  
What? How did they know his name. But... that voice... where had he heard it before?  
_"I was waiting for your call"_ , the person on the other line said without waiting for his reply.  
Suddenly, it dawned on him. A cold and shiver ran up his spine. Why would he...  
_"Did you miss me baby?"_

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**LUHAN**

Cold. Fear. Pain. That’s what Luhan felt sitting on the chair. Cold for he was sitting bare-chested in the small room. Fear for being in this imbroglio and pain from all the whips and hits he got for past hour.

The door opened, revealing the boss, standing with his phone to his ear.

“-waiting for your call. Did you miss me, baby?”

The boss looked at Luhan and he immediately knew it was none other than his Sehunnie on the other side of the phone. _But wait. Did he just say ‘Baby’? Why did he call him ‘Baby’?_

Anger burst open in Luhan’s veins. He gave a loud battle cry and with his chair, plunged towards the boss only to get hit again to the corner of the room - chair broken and the wood digging into his back.

“LUHANNN!!!” The said boy heard Sehun shout from the other side of the phone.

The venomous laughter once again filled the cellar. “Don’t worry. Your boyfriend is absolutely safe with us here.”

Luhan was forced up by two men and once again was tied to a chair. He glared at the boss and with anger once again evident on his face, spat on the boss’ face.  Anew, was retorted with immense pain.

In the now silent room, he heard Sehun threaten, loud and clear. “Do. Not. Touch. Him. I am coming.” **(HeHe. Winter is coming)**

Luhan’s eyes widened with fear and once again the whipping session started.

**SEHUN**

Sehun sank to the cold floor, his knees giving away due to shock and exhaustion. He never thought he'd talk to...him again. Not after what happened with them. Why did he want Luhan? What was his motive? Moreover, why was he even here?

Sehun's mind was filled with images of his Luhannie. Cold, beaten.... it was all because of him.

"Sehun! Sehunnie! Is that you?" he heard a voice calling from a few metres away.

He slowly turned his face, tears falling down his cheeks. He saw Tao, Baekhyun and Jongdae running towards him.

"Hy-Hyung.... you're here..." Sehun's heart filled with a slow sensation of relief.... a sensation of HOPE that he might find his Luhannie.

"Sehun-ah...stop crying. First tell us what happened. The others are on their way here." Baekhyun wiped the tears running down his face, trying to calm Sehun down.

"Hyung....Luhan hyung...He's been kidnapped. We were having bubble tea. An-And he disappeared. I found his phone and I spoke to his kidnapper. THEY'RE TORTURING HIM HYUNG. I don't know what to do. I'm so useless. I should have protecte-..."

"Sehunnie.... don't say things like that. Right now we have to focus on finding Luhan hyung. Did the kidnapper say anything?"

"No. He didn't.... bu-but I found out who he is. Its- it's YoungSung...." Sehun said in a quiet voice.

"Huh? Who's that?" Three confused stares were fixed on Luhan.

"Hyung.... its YoungSung.... He's....He's my ex-boyfriend..."

**XIUMIN**

“Hello?”

_“Hello, hyung.”_

“Chennie? Is everything okay? Why do you sound troubled?”

_“Xiumin hyung. Its… it’s... Luhan.” Chen replied while sniffing. “Luhan hyung has been kidnapped.”_

Xiumin immediately took his legs off the table, now sitting in an upright position.

“WHAT? When did all this happen?

Xiumin could hear the sniffles from the other side of the phone most probably from Sehun. Chen then moved on to explain the whole story to him.

_“Xiumin hyung, can you help us find Luhan hyung?”_

“I’ll see what Kris and I can do. But wait. You said that, that YoungSung called Luhan?”

_“Yes and after that even Sehun called on that number.”_

“Ok. Good. Send me that phone number right now. I’ll try to trace the phone and track their location. Don’t worry, Chennie. We will find Luhan, okay? Nothing will happen to him.” Xiumin said with complete determination.

_“Ok, hyung. Thank you. Love you. Bye.”_

“I love you. Bye.”

*Beep* Xiumin’s phone lit up.  _1 new message._

**From: ChenniexOxO: YoungSung’s phone no.-xxxxxxxxxx**

**To: ChenniexOxO: Thnx.**

“JiWook!” A police officer, immediately, entered the room and saluted Xiumin.

“Yes, Sir?”

“Track this phone number right now. Also call Inspector Yifan here. Say that it is an emergency.” Xiumin ordered.

He saluted once more with a “Yes, sir” and then left the room.

Few minutes later, Inspector Yifan walked into the room. “What happened?” And he explained everything to Kris.

“I sent JiWook to track the phone. Now we just need to wait till we get the location.” Just then, JiWook entered the room, saluting both the inspectors.

“Sir. We found the location.”

“Ok. Get the car ready. We are leaving.” Xiumin instructed curtly and left the room with Kris.

 **To: ChenniexOxO: Tracked the location. On the way with Kris.**  

 


	3. Chapter 3

**LUHAN**

Luhan woke up panting. Cold sweat was running down his face, stinging the fresh bruises he just got. His nightmares were getting worse by the day. All he saw was Sehun hurt. Sehun bleeding. Sehun....dead.

_Maybe I shouldn't sleep. It'll probably help._

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the man's voice. The same man from before.

 _"-_ almost here… we have to move fast. Let's go for X252. Sehun wouldn't think of looking there."

_Move fast? X252? What was that?_

"But... He's not healed yet. I don't think he can walk...." the man's sidekick replied

"Walk? Are you stupid? Just knock him out for a few hours and we'll take him there the way we brought him here." the man replied impatiently

"Y-yes sir."

Luhan heard the door of his room open. Fast. Impatient footsteps shuffled toward where he was lying...

And then everything turned black.

 

Luhan woke up, his eyes adjusting to the bright sunlight... _wait... sunlight... how?_

His wounds and bruises were bandaged tightly... one of his hands in a cast. They still hurt like hell. But it was better than before.

And... He was on.... a bed?

He tried sitting up but he was quickly pushed back down.

"You mustn't try that yet my boy. Your wounds haven't healed completely." he heard a woman's voice say.

He slowly turned his head and saw a woman with greying hair, probably in her 60s, glasses perched on her nose and a magazine in her hand.

_Where was he? And who was she?_

"Who-who are you?" His voice came out cracking

"I am but a mere mother, trying to help you. The one who kidnapped you... is my son, YoungSung. I apologize for what he has done. Unfortunately I cannot do anything about it. But I will try to help you. After all, I will extend my love to anyone who Sehunnie loves."

"S-Sehun? How do you know him?" _Sehun’s name... again.... was this connected to him after all?_

"Sehun... well.... I believe, my boy... that Sehun and YoungSung... were once lovers."

 

 

SEHUN

**One thing Sehun loved the most ever since his existence was bubble tea. He just couldn’t live a day without it. Bubble tea always cleared his messed up head. How could they not sell bubble tea in this high school? Sehun just never understood that.  They sold the most senseless things here but not bubble tea? Sehun shall fight for its rights. (HaHa.) Ok. He is not making sense right now. Maybe he should take a stroll, clear his head.**

**Sehun got up, earning suspicious looks from Jongin.**

**“I am just going for a walk.” With that he left the place, not even waiting for a reply.**

**It was cold. He always despised winters. Winters made him want to be wrapped in a cocoon of blankets all day and do absolutely nothing. How contradictory was it that his boyfriend loved winters.**

**Sehun’s thoughts drifted to his boyfriend. It felt that these days YoungSung was drifting apart from Sehun. His personality had also changed from where they had started dating.**

**YoungSung’s once honey-brown eyes seemed darker these days. His cheesy pick-up lines were now mere harsh replies whenever Sehun asked him something. Their fights even more frequent than before. Their dates had now turned to YoungSung spending most of the time on phone completely ignoring the date and Sehun’s presence.**

**Sehun sighed. He wished he could know what was happening to his boyfriend. _Was YoungSung dating someone else? Why he cheating on me? Is that why YoungSung was always on his phone talking to someone in hushed voice? Was it his girlfriend?_  Thoughts rushed in Sehun’s mind.**

**He suddenly became aware of his surroundings. Lost in his thoughts, Sehun realized he had reached an anonymous place.**

**“No. You can’t do this, YoungSung. We had a deal!” Sehun heard someone, probably few meters ahead of him shout.**

**He moved towards the voice with caution. When he saw things clearly in front of him, he froze.**

Sehun jerked back to present by Jongdae’s ringtone.

“Hello? Xiumin hyung?” Chen answered the phone while putting it on speaker mode.

“Chen. Kris and I went to the location. But when we reached there, it was empty. We found a cellar; probably that’s where they had kept Luhan. It was… it was… covered with blood.”

Jongdae, Baekhyun and Tao peeked a look at Sehun, his eyes wide with fear.

“But we also found a note in a hoodie that said ‘My Bambi’. Kris and I are coming back. We’ll explain everything when we reach there, okay?”

“Okay. Bye.”

The atmosphere was filled with tense silence, everybody registering the call.

 

 

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**SEHUN**

"That's .... that's all we found. We took DNA samples of the blood and... its Luhan's. We have no other clues. No fingerprints, nothing. But.... there is a note." Xiumin looked at Kris, waiting for him to read out the note.

Kris cleared his throat, looking hesitantly at the others before reading it out.

_Sehunnie,_

_Sorry! I guess you were too late. But don't worry; your precious Luhan isn't dead....yet. That wouldn't be fun would it?_

_Sehunnie, remember the good old days? Remember the place you loved to go? You'd want to go there almost every day. Where better to take the person you love, than to the place you loved?_

_Yours truly,_

_YoungSung_

Almost everyone was in tears. Sehun was hugging Luhan's hoodie close to his chest, trying to keep the tears in.

"Sehun, I know this is hard for you, but to find Luhan, we need to know everything we can about this guy. We need you to tell us. We need to find out why he's doing this. “Kris said, trying to bring back his business-like aura, trying to stop his voice from cracking.

_"Should I tell them what happened? What would they think if they found out about YoungSung?"_

"Sehun... Sehun-ah... are you okay?" Chanyeol asked, concerned.

"Of course he's not okay you idiot" Baekhyun said, annoyed

"Guys, stop fighting. It's not the time for this." Xiumin reprimanded.

_He had to tell them, for Luhan._

_Images of that day flashed in his head. The day he saw YoungSung... He couldn't do this anymore. He wanted to forget it. Forget him. Forget what they had. He needed to... He just wanted....._

"Jonginnie..."

_And his vision went blank._

**JONGIN**

Jongin was tired. He had danced all day, taught Jimin and Jhope for their upcoming dance tournament and now all he wanted was to lie down on his bed and daydream about asking Kyungsoo out. He sighed.

Jongin got in his car and switched the radio on as soon as he started to drive. _“I feel it in my bones, enough to make my systems blow, welcome to the new age, to the new age-”_

His phone interrupted his singing. The screen lit up and the caller ID flashed- Xiumin hyung.

Jongin rejected the call. Well, no answering the phone while driving. That’s the rule.

Few minutes later, Fantastic Baby once again brought a halt to his singing.

 _Why would Xiumin hyung call me again? He knows that I don’t answer the phone while driving and even that this is the time when he returns home. Then why is Xiumin hyung calling me continuously?_ Jongin thought. Now things seemed serious. He should answer the phone.

Jongin pulled the car to a side and answered.

“Hello? Xiumin hyung?”

_“Jongin, Sehun blacked out.”_

“WHHATT??” Jongin shouted over the phone. “How did all this happen? What is actually happening, hyung?”

_“Luhan has been kidnapped by someone called YoungSung. He is torturing Luhan and threatening Sehun. When we tried to ask Sehun about YoungSung, he blacked out after saying your name. Do you who this YoungSung is? Jongin, what actually happened with Sehun and him? We need to know everything so that we can investigate more.”_

“Umm… hyung… it all started in high school when Sehun and YoungSung started dating. One day, Sehun found out the reason why YoungSung was behaving differently after they had started dating. The reason was-”

Jongin felt sharp pain in his left side. The car flipped towards his right, completely crushing Jongin with its weight. Jongin saw stars in his vision. He could hear Xiumin hyung’s voice fade slowly, slowly, slowly and then completely.

**SEHUN**

**_He ran. He ran as fast as he could. What happened there… what he saw… it couldn’t be true. It couldn’t be him. YoungSung… his YoungSung… he would never do something so ruthless._ **

**Sehun sank to the ground, his mind filled with images. That scene kept replaying in his head.**

**Why would YoungSung do that? Who was the other person? They pleaded with him, but he still… did it. What was this person’s relation with YoungSung? This explains why he was acting so weird. What did the other person do? And what _deal_ did they have?**

**The scene replayed in Sehun’s head. YoungSung screaming, the other man pleading, YoungSung taking the gun out and then…**

**After what YoungSung had done to him in the past few months, Sehun would’ve called him many things. A liar, a heartbreaker, a cruel bastard; but one thing he never thought YoungSung would be was… a murderer.**

**Sehun heard footsteps coming towards him.**

**“Sehun! Sehunnie… I know you’re there… there’s no point hiding...”**

“Sehunnie…” Another person called and this time he was brought back to consciousness by Baekhyun hyung’s voice calling out his name.

“Phew Sehunnie… you’re awake.”

When Sehun’s eyes cleared out, he saw Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Suho hyung standing around him.

 _Where was he? It looked like a… hospital?_ His thoughts were interrupted by Tao bursting into the room.

“Guys, he’s in a serious condition. They said they can’t do anything until they see any sign of him waking up.”

“Waking up? Who? Who else is here?” Sehun asked, panicking.

The others looked at each other, not knowing what to do. Slowly, Suho spoke up,

“Sehun… its Jongin. He was in an accident and now… and now… he is in coma.”

**(Hehe. Evil smirk)**

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**LUHAN**

Luhan groaned as he tried to stand, pain shooting through his back. His wounds were healing, but the feeling of being beaten; tortured to almost the point of death was something he could never forget.

"Luhan. How are you feeling? Do you want to go out to the garden? YoungSung gave me permission to take you." YoungSung’s mother entered the room, smiling warmly.

"Oh Mrs. Kang.... it’s you. Actually I think I'll just stay in and rest for a while." Luhan replied, but YoungSung’s mother shook her head in disagreement.

"I think you should come outside. It'd do you good..." Mrs. Kang said, her smile morphing into an expression of worry.

Luhan sensed something was wrong. Mrs. Kang was never like that. Why was she so keen on Luhan going outside?

"Uhhh... okay then. I’ll come out." Luhan replied, curious as to why she was acting that way.

Luhan walked out to the garden with Mrs. Kang's help. She guided him outside, but she seemed kind of hurried.

Luhan breathed in the fresh air of the garden. It'd been so long since he came outside, owing to being imprisoned by four walls.

But this happiness didn't last very long. Mrs. Kang took him by the arm, led him to a quiet corner and said,

"Luhan. This is your chance to escape. There's a route leading to the backyard through those trees. No one else knows about it. You won't be seen. I'll cover for you here."

"But... YoungSung... He's sure to find me. And he's not going to let you off easy. I don't think I can do this." Luhan said, his mind spinning up several possibilities of failure.

"This is you only HOPE. If you don't do this now, who knows how long you'll be stuck here?" Mrs. Kang said, and pushed Luhan through the opening in the trees.

Luhan walked through the dark passage, trying to be as quiet as possible.

Suddenly, a high pitched scream entered his ears. He ran back through the passage. Peeping through the crack in the trees, he saw something horrifying.

YoungSung was holding a gun in hand, breathing heavily... and on the grass below, lay Mrs. Kang... lifeless.

**SEHUN**

**“Sehunnie!!” Luhan shouted.**

**“What?”**

**Luhan walked into the kitchen where Sehun was eating an apple, his back facing Luhan.**

**“Thank you for this hoodie. I love it.”**

**_Hoodie? What hoodie is he talking about? I never bought a hoodie for Luhan._ ** **Sehun faced Luhan only to find him in _his_ red hoodie which he had bought for himself.**

**But one thing he had to say, the ‘Bambi’ hoodie suited Luhan more than him. It was quite big for Luhan, but that’s what made him look even more adorable. Well, he should let Luhan keep it. Because whatever is Sehun’s is obviously Luhan’s too (like his heart).**

**Luhan walked towards him and hugged Sehun. “Thank you, Sehunnie. I love it so much.”**

**Sehun awkwardly stroked Luhan’s head, his fingers vanishing in his purple hair and his cheeks turning the same color as that of the hoodie.**

**Luhan moved away from their embrace, his cheeks reflecting the Sehun’s.**

“Sehun. Sehun-ah”

Sehun was jerked awake from his light trance by Xiumin’s voice. “We are here, Sehun.”

Sehun looked out of the (friggin?) window.  The place was covered with pine trees and filled with snow. Sehun took a deep breath. The air still had the same smell. The sweet scent of wood with a bit of odor of the soil covered with snow still lingered in the air even after 10 years. He really missed his hometown.

Sehun recalled the time when he used to go on a play date with Jongin and YoungSung. He missed those good, old days.

“Sehun. Where do you think YoungSung would have kept Luhan?” Xiumin questioned.

The note said that it was the place Sehun loved to go but Sehun’s heart said the otherwise.

“Hyung, I think it’s better if we go to my old house. We can try asking our neighbors if they have seen anyone strange.” Kris ordered to drive to Sehun’s house.

“Don’t worry, Sehun. We will find Luhan this time. We will.” Kris consoled him.

 _Yes. We will. We have to find my Luhannie this time._ Sehun felt optimistic for the first time since Luhan was kidnapped. This time he had to find Luhan because this time he is not going to chicken out. He is finally going to say those three magical words.

I love you.

 

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**TAO**

Tao looked around at his surroundings. Suncheon, where his two best friends grew up, was a beautiful place. Long stretches of snow covered fields, huge houses.... it was a sight he never saw in Seoul and it reminded him of his hometown, Qingdao.

He looked up front Kris and locked eyes with him in the rear-view mirror. Kris' stoic expression faded away and he flashed Tao a sad smile, almost as if he knew what he was thinking.

He wasn't happy when Tao insisted on coming. Something about it being dangerous. But Luhan was his brother and Sehun was his best friend. He could just sit around and wait could he?

They finally reached Sehun's old house. His parents were away in America with his brother so the house was empty.

"Let's all rest for the afternoon and we'll begin investigating later. I don't think any of us are in a state to do anything productive now." Xiumin said.

He was right. But Tao felt really jittery about not doing anything. He didn't want Luhan to suffer anymore... He needed to clear his head.

"I'm gonna go out for a walk. I'm not that tired." Tao declared. 

Kris looked at him skeptically, but agreed. "Fine. But don't go too far and take your phone with you."

"Hyung you don't even need to tell him that. Tao can't survive without his phone. Two weeks ago he lost his phone and it was horrible for all of us." Sehun said, chuckling slightly.

"He lost his phone? But he has it now doesn't he?" Kris asked out of curiosity. 

"Yeah I dropped it somewhere at uni. But someone found it and returned it to the lost and found a few days later." Tao said, getting ready to go out. 

"Wait Tao... wasn't that just before Luhan was kidnapped? What if.... what if someone found your phone and read your messages? What if it was YoungSung? Was there anything on it that might’ve given him hints?" Xiumin said frantically, bombarding Tao with questions.

"There were...there were messages.... that he could've seen...." Tao said panicking, his mind recalling all the messages Sehun sent him.

**#JONGINNIECOMEONLINE**

**Thehun: I think... I might like Luhan hyung**

**You: OMG I KNEW IT**

And then...just before his phone went missing

**#HUNHAN4LYF**

**Kaister: OH SEHUN HOW DARE YOU NOT TELL US THAT YOU'RE GOING ON A DATE WITH LUHAN HYUNG**

**You: HE IS!!???**

**Thehun: Oh... uh... yeah... we're going out next Sunday (also pls change the title)**

**You: I bet you 50 bucks they're gonna end up at that bubble tea place (Nope)**

"You have to get rid of that phone now." Kris snatched the phone from his hands and went outside.

The three of them looked at each other in silence. Tao couldn't think straight. Was all this his fault? It was, wasn't it? If only he hadn't been so careless urghh...

"I think we should all go rest for a while." Sehun said, sensing Tao's pain.

Tao fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Maybe he was tired after all.

 

 

Later that evening Tao went into Kris' room. He found Kris sitting at a table, looking through the note from YoungSung.

"Kris-ge...can I help too?" Tao said

"Oh... Zitao... it’s you. Listen, I know you're probably blaming yourself about the phone. But it's not your fault. You couldn't have known." Kris said, looking at Tao with a concerned expression.

Tao didn't reply.

They both looked at the note in silence. Until…

"Kris-ge. We'll find him, won't we? We have to."

Kris sighed, "of course we will Zitao. I will find him for you. I know how much you love him."

"It’s not just me..." Tao's mind drifted to what Sehun had told him only a few weeks ago.

**"Are you in love with him?" Jongin asked bluntly.**

**"I think I am. But...." He trailed off.**

**"What's wrong Sehunnie?"**

**Sehun took a deep breath and started,**

**"It’s just that.... it scares me. I never know when my heart's going to break. But at the same time... I wouldn't have it any other way because right now... loving him... it completes me."**

**YOUNGSUNG**

The chair shattered on the floor, its legs flying across the room.

“Find him. I want him right in front of me.” YoungSung growled.

“Y-yes, sir. Our men are searching for him. He can’t escape from our hands.”

“How did he dare to run away from me! Somebody is going to pay for this.”


	7. Chapter 7

**LUHAN**

_“Luhan… Luhannie…”_

_Luhan heard a distant voice call him. It was faint but very familiar._

_“Lu…”_

_“S-Se… she…” Luhan forced his mouth to work but to no avail. No sound was heard._

_“Luhannie… please… comeback to me.” Sehun. It’s his Sehunnie calling out to him. Luhan tried to search for the tall figure but all he could see was darkness._

_“Seh…”_

Luhan’s eyes flickered open.

“Appa! He is awake!”

Luhan saw a small boy sitting beside him, inspecting him as though he was a great treasure in the museum. Luhan tried to sit up but pain hindered his movement. The door opened to reveal a couple whose faces looked anxious.

 “Hello. We are Mr. and Mrs. Kwon.” Luhan gave a small nod, his body in agony.

The young couple looked like they were in their early 30s and their son almost 6-7 years old.

“Last night, we found you in our garden, completely passed out. We hope everything is ok. You had many injuries too.” Mr. Kwon spoke, sounding concerned.

The previous night rushed in Luhan’s head. Mrs. Kang asking him to leave. Her stiff body falling on the ground, the soil covered with blood…

Luhan’s breath rate increased and his head started aching.

“It’s ok. You don’t have to tell us anything.” Mrs. Kwon assured him. “I think you should rest. You need some sleep to cure those wounds.”

“Can I take a stroll? I think fresh air will work better for me.”

Mrs. Kwon gave a small smile. “Ok. But take HyunSoo with you. He will show you around.”

“Thank you.”

“You can stay here as many days as you want. Consider it your home…”

“Luhan. My name is Luhan.”

Mr. Kwon nodded and helped him stand. “Comeback before it gets too dark, Luhan. And HyunSoo, don’t trouble your hyung, okay? Be a good boy.”

“Yes, Appa. I am a good boy.”

Luhan once again expressed his gratitude and started walking with the kid-HyunSoo.

“Hey!  HyunSoo, right?” The said boy gave a small nod. “Which town is this?”

“It’s Suncheon.” HyunSoo answered.

_Suncheon? Its sounds familiar. I have heard of this town before. But where?_

“So, I see you are not much of a talker, huh?”

“Yes.” The boy gave a short reply.

“Ahh! So tell me, what do you like the most?”

“Big Bang.” Another short answer. _Aish! Why is it so hard to make a conversation with this boy?_

“Really? I love them too!”

“Really?” Luhan nodded. _Phew. At least this got his eyes to light up!_

The boy moved on to talk about his love for Big Bang and how he wished to meet GD and TOP hyung.

Luhan noticed a house next to theirs. It looked abandoned, like it had not been used for many years. The front garden was covered with dead leaves and it seemed as though not even wind had entered the place.

 But something pulled Luhan towards the house. He took HyunSoo’s hand and walked towards the dark house. Adrenaline rushed in Luhan’s veins and he started walking faster.

The main gate was ajar and it looked like it had been recently opened. Luhan walked with HyunSoo towards the house, opened the gate further and entered.

The leaves rustled as they stepped on them. Luhan noticed a figure standing near the door, the person’s back facing them. The figure turned, now facing Luhan and HyunSoo.

The boy stopped talking and Luhan stopped walking.

 

**JONGIN**

Jongin’s vision adjusted to the light in the room. The room, he noticed, was completely white with a small window on one of the wall through which the bright sunlight filled the white room.

Jongin noticed a figure sleeping by his side, the person’s hands clasped tightly with Jongin’s. The figure was resting in an awkward position; their head on Jongin's bed and their body seated on an uncomfortable chair.

Jongin moved to sit in an upright position on the bed but this movement awoke the person. Two beautiful doe-eyes slowly opened and stared back at him. The doe-eyed devil suddenly pulled Jongin into a bone-crushing hug and the force pushed Jongin back into his bed with Kyungsoo on top of hm.

“Jonginnie…” Kyungsoo spoke in a soft, sleepy voice unaware of their position. “Don’t ever scare me like that, Jongin.”

“Hyung, I am fine now.”

Kyungsoo nodded and realized the position they were in. Jongin was completely lying on the hospital bed, his arms holding Kyungsoo in a cage, Kyungsoo’s head on Jongin’s chest, his legs on the floor and his waist awkwardly bent towards Jongin.

Kyungsoo moved to sit on his chair, his face crimson. _Cute,_ Jongin thought.

“How are you feeling?”

“I am good.” Awkward silence occupied the room. Breaking the quiet atmosphere, Jongin asked, “How many days was I out, Kyungie? Umm… I mean hyung.”

“Seven days.”

Jongin’s eyes widened in shock. _Seven days? That’s so long. But what happened that made me unconscious in the first place. Ugh! Why can’t I remember anything!_

“Hyung. What happened? How am I here on this hospital bed?”

“Jongin, you were driving back home when you met with a car accident. Some gentlemen called the ambulance and helped to the hospital. You were seriously injured. Do you know how scared I was when I saw you like this? I… I thought… I thought you were never going to… wake up!”

Kyungsoo started crying. This time, it was Jongin who pulled him into a warm embrace and the position was also comfortable.

“Don’t you ever do this again, Jonginnie… don’t you ever.” Kyungsoo started sobbing even more now and Jongin’s hospital shirt was wet with tears.

“These… these seven days were the longest days of my life.” He suddenly looked up, his teary eyes meeting the concerned eyes of Jongin.

“But I think… seven days are enough to fall in love.”

 


	8. Chapter 8

**SEHUN**

Sehun and Tao stepped out of the mansion -like house. Their mission for the evening was to ask around and investigate while the other two do their police-y work. Sehun found that even after so many years he still knew the place like the back of his hand. For once, Tao didn't ask him anything out of curiosity. He looked around at the place. It hadn't changed much, so the nostalgia hit him hard.

"Uhhh.... Sehun ah... I don't mean to be rude but... I think we should go a bit faster." Tao said, gently.

"Oh...Yeah... sorry.... I was just... Let's go..."

"So where do you think we should go?" Sehun thought. And then it hit him. He felt really stupid for not thinking about it before.

"His...house..."

"Huh?" Tao said, confused.

"YoungSung’s old house...Let's go there"

He grabbed Tao's hand and sprinted in the direction of the house. He wanted to go there before his nerves got to him and he freaked out.

They finally reached the driveway of a pale-cream coloured house with a well kept front lawn.

Images flashed through his head. Mrs Kang and her mouth watering food, three of them playing in the lawn...

"Is this... is this the place?" Tao asked quietly

"Yeah.. Let's go in"

"I don't think that's a very good idea... what if he's inside?"

"But... but Luhan-hyung could be there..."

"I think we should wait for Kris-ge and Xiu-hyung. I called them already."

"We don't have time Tao.... okay let's at least go into that summer house. Then we might be hidden until they come."

They stepped inside. There was only small, flickering light. Tao grabbed Sehun's hand, fear taking over his senses.

_This place.... it brings back memories, painful memories. I need to think of something else. Okay, I can do this. Think happy thoughts... think happy thoughts...._

**"Hey....Lu-hyung... you wanna watch a movie? I'm gonna watch The Prisoner of Azkaban."**

**"Sehunnie... we've watched that movie so many times. You even know the dialogues by heart."**

**"But..." Sehun pouted and Luhan couldn't resist. Damn that pout.**

**Sehun and Luhan had been dancing around each other for months now. Their friends started shipping them and Baekhyun even wrote fanfiction about them...whatever that was. (Its not like Sehun ever read any of them. Psh. No)**

**In the middle of the movie, Luhan rested his head on Sehun's shoulder. Not that he wasn't used to it... but his heart skipped a beat every time Luhan got close to him.**

**They had finally reached the part where Sirius asks Harry to live with him. This was a scene that Sehun hated to watch. He always got really emotional when he did.**

**He looked over at Luhan. The light from the screen highlighted his features. His high cheekbones, his long eyelashes, his perfect jawline (geddit?).....**

**Luhan felt his stare and turned to face him. Both of them got lost in each other's eyes, forgetting the movie playing. It was just them, and the moment lying ahead.**

**They leaned closer. Their lips touched.**

**Sehun's mind went blank. All he could feel was...Luhan....Luhan...Luhan....**

**They pulled away slowly.**

**"Sehunnie...."**

"Sehun-ah....Sehun-ah... someone's coming." Tao's urgent whisper pulled Sehun out of his thoughts.

He heard footsteps coming closer...closer.... until they stopped. Sehun didn't even need to turn around to know who it was.

A deep, cold voice then spoke, "Oh Sehun. What a pleasure it is to see you again."

 


	9. Chapter 9

**LUHAN**

“Xiumin hyung?”

“Luhan!” Xiumin rushed towards Luhan engulfing him in a warm embrace. This hug reminded Luhan of Sehun’s bear hug. His hugs should be awarded with an Oscar. The Oscar for the best hugs goes to- Oh Sehun!

“Oh my God! Luhan!”  A voice spoke from behind, breaking their hug.

“Kris! What are you doing here? And…and… how is everybody?” Luhan inquired, secretly wishing for some news of Sehun.

“We came in search of you and that YoungSung man.” Kris replied. “He didn’t… he didn’t hurt you, right?”

Luhan looked to the ground, not wanting to answer the question. Luhan felt a small hand clasp around his big ones.

“Hyung, I think it’s time for dinner.” HyunSoo spoke softly and nervously around the two men, well almost three since Sehun was almost like a stranger to him.

The sky had indeed turned dark and stars were visible. The sky, here, could be seen clearly without any interference of city lights, without the tall buildings and without the excess smoke from vehicles.

“Let us drop him to his house first. Then, we’ll…” Luhan said, his voice faltering in the end, not knowing what to do or what to say.

 

After dropping HyunSoo to his house, thanking Mr. and Mrs. Kwon and politely refusing their offer to have dinner with them, the three 23 year old men started walking towards their stay.

“So, Just the two of you have come here?”

“No. Tao and Sehun are here too. They are asking the neighbors.” Kris answered, his voice going soft when he mentioned his brother’s name. Luhan always knew that there was something between even though they denied it.

 _Wait. Sehun? His Sehun is here! Only for him!_ The sudden happiness was cruelly extinguished by fear. _Sehun shouldn’t be here. That’s exactly what YoungSung wants. No. N.O. YoungSung can’t find him! But what if he already found his Sehun?_

Bloody images occupied Luhan’s mind. Sehun tied up to a chair just the way he was tied up. Sehun getting whipped in the same way he was tortured. Sehun screaming loudly in pain.

_Wait. Was that a real scream?_

Luhan, Kris and Xiumin halted on the pavement, the familiar scream once again filling the air and deafening their ears.

The manly screech, they noticed, had come from the house to the right of them. A wordless agreement was passes between the three and slowly started walking towards the house.

The sense of déjà vu hit Luhan. The gate was open and the fallen leaves covered the front. As they walked closer to the door, a sudden noise paused their movement. The sound of a gun firing filled in the air accompanied by a scream and Luhan, recognizing it rushed towards the loud, pained cry with his heart in his mouth.

 

**KYUNGSOO**

Kyungsoo looked up, to meet Jongin’s worried eye.

“But I think seven days are enough to fall in love.”

With that, the doe-eyed man pressed his lips on the patient’s, completely surprising the latter. It was sweet, small and a pure kiss; both of them too afraid to move and disturb their moment. A cough broke their kiss apart.

“I see you are fine now. More than fine, it seems.” The doctor teased him which made Kyungsoo turn scarlet. “But I still have to check, Jongin.”

The doctor started his work; checking the heartbeat, blood pressure and well… just doing his stuff. (I ain’t a doctor nor am I planning to be one. So I don’t know this stuff.)

“Hmm… your heartbeat is a bit fast but keeping the situation I entered in, I think it’s normal.”

After writing something on his note and giving instructions to the nurse that had just entered, the doctor stood up. “We need to observe you for two more days and then you can take your leave and have _fun_ with this young man.”

 _Ugh. This doctor will soon be lying on this same bed. Dead._ Kyungsoo thought.

“You seem fine now. I suggest you to rest for a while.”

The doctor left the room after a “Take care of him” and smirking at Kyungsoo while giving the I-know-how-you-are-going-to-take-care-of-him look.

“How are you feeling?” Kyungsoo initiated to start the conversation.

“Good.” Silence. “Umm… hyung?”

“Yes?”

“What just happened?”

Kyungsoo gave him a sad look, sighed and said, “I kissed you because I love you.” _Wow. Where did I get this much courage from? Probably from that little devil Baekhyun. Always says things on my face._ “I know this is a very sudden confession. I’ll take time to process it because you just awoke from coma. But it’s okay. You don’t have to answer me. Your expression says it all. I’ll leave now. You should rest. Don’t think too much about this.”

Kyungsoo stood up from his chair, tugged his coat properly and began to walk. Jongin, realizing his angry face, suddenly changed his expression and held Kyungsoo from taking any step forward.

“Hyung. I am not angry because you kissed me. I am not angry at you. I am pissed off at myself. I always day dreamed about asking you out, but always failed to build up the courage. I wanted to be the one to confess first. I love you too, Kyungie.”

By now, Kyungsoo's eyes were the size of a ping pong ball, wide and white. Jongin laughed at his new boyfriend’s cuteness, pulled him onto his lap and pinched his soft cheeks.

“You are so adorable!”  Kyungsoo buried his embarrassed red face in Jongin’s neck while the latter just laughed at his behavior.

“Hyung?” Jongin said after sometime. “Can I get some prunes? (Heheh) I am suddenly craving for it.”

“You sound like a pregnant woman with wild cravings.”

Loud laughter filled the place. Few minutes after the laughter died down, Kyungsoo answer, “I knew you would feel hungry as soon as you were awake. So I called Suho when Dr.SassPants was checking upon you and asked him get some food. I’ll tell him to get some prunes too.”

“Thank you, Kyungie!”

The room was once again filled with silence but this time it was comfortable. Jongin suddenly went ice-bound. “Hyung, what happened to Sehun? Did they find Luhan hyung? Is everybody okay?”

It was Kyungsoo’s turn to freeze. He recalled his phone call with Suho.

_“What’s happening there? Did they find Luhan? Is everyone fine there, Suho?”_

_“Yes. They did find Luhan. But…”_

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 


	10. Chapter 10

**SEHUN**

 

Tao screamed (manly shrieked). Sehun turned around slowly, his heart beating like crazy.

YoungSung had changed. The boyish, high school look had vanished. There's no denying he was handsome. But his eyes, the way he spoke, everything seemed.... lifeless.

"It’s so nice to see you again, Sehunnie. " YoungSung said, a smile on his face. "Did you enjoy my little game?"

"Why? Why would you do this?" Sehun said, his voice trembling with fear and anger.

"Aww... don't be so harsh Sehunnie.... I just wanted to see you again.... and get you back." YoungSung said, coming closer to Sehun, smiling devilishly.

YoungSung looked over at Tao, who was frozen in fear.

"And who are you? Another one of Sehunnie's boy toys? I must say Sehun, you have good taste." YoungSung ran a hand down Tao's chest.

A harsh voice interrupted his action. "Don't touch him. Don't you dare."

"Kris-ge..."

Kris, Xiumin and Luhan entered the room. Kris and Xiumin had their guns out, aiming them at Youngsung.

But all Sehun could see was his Lu-hyung. He was safe.

"Sehunnie... Tell your friends to put those down. I don't want anyone to get hurt... I'm a good guy."

"Good guy? GOOD GUY? EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU SCREAMS PSYCHOTIC KILLER AND YOU WANT ME TO TELL THEM YOU'RE A GOOD GUY? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Sehun screamed in disbelief.

"That's not very nice, is it? Lemme tell them what happened...and then they can decide." Youngsung said, smirking.

"Sehunnie and I were dating. We were very happy. Then one day, he saw me kill someone. The guy hadn't paid me back for the Valium I gave him. So I killed him. You can't blame me for that.

And Sehunnie, being the awesome boyfriend he was, told the police. And I waited in prison. FOR 10 WHOLE YEARS. Now I'm back and I want my Sehunnie back. He belongs to me." YoungSung said.

"Belongs to you? You scarred him. You treated him like shit. Don't you dare say he belongs to you." Luhan said, boiling with rage.

"Oh its you... you're the reason Sehunnie doesn't wanna be with me... maybe I should get rid of you." YoungSung said, running his hand on the metal of his gun.

"You're not killing anyone. What makes you think I'll be with you if you kill Lu-hyung? Why can't you leave me alone? I don't belong to you and I never will." Sehun screamed.

"Sehunnie....why won't you love me....

 Its okay... if you won't love me now... you'll love me later. I'll leave you now... but destiny will bring us together in our next life... Yay!"

YoungSung took out his gun and pointed it at his own forehead. He cupped Sehun's cheek and said, "Look at me. Look at me while I die. It's your fault after all."

Just as he was about to pull the trigger, he stopped, and lowered the gun.

"Wait... if I die... you'll live happily with him... that's not okay."

He strengthened his grip on Sehun, and pointed the gun behind Sehun, where Luhan stood, and he pulled the trigger.

Sehun heard someone scream. He saw Kris run behind him. He saw Xiumin freeze. He heard YoungSung’s crazy laughter. But it was all a blur. Al he could think of...

Lu-hyung.... His bambi... was... He was gone...

He couldn't move due to YoungSung’s hard grip. But he vaguely saw Youngsung shooting himself and falling to the ground.

Sehun's legs moved on their own accord. He turned around.

He saw Kris and Xiumin shedding tears... He saw Luhan screaming, but not because he was hurt. Sehun's knees gave away.

For there, on Luhan's lap, covered in blood, lay his best friend... Tao.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue (*insert drumroll*)

 

Sehun looked at his boyfriend who was cooking in the kitchen while singing with his heavenly voice. Luhan’s voice was so beautiful that he could listen to it all day and yet never get tired of it. His voice was as beautiful as him. In fact, every part of him was beautiful. **(*cough* *cough*)**

Sehun walked up to his angelic boyfriend and back hugged him.

“What are you cooking, hyung?”

“Japchae.”

“Can I taste?”

“Its not ready yet, Sehun-ah!”

“Pwease?” Sehun tried to persuade Luhan with his aegyo which he only did for Luhan but one kiss from his boyfriend and Sehun was left flustered.

“What time are the others coming?” Sehun asked, while positioning himself on the kitchen counter amidst all the food items.

“Yixing called and said that they’ll be here by 7. But you know them, when they say 7, they actually mean 8.”

Sehun’s laughter filled the kitchen, making Luhan smile.

Luhan’s smile had become very rare. His persona had changed over the past three years ever since the YoungSung incident. After that event, Luhan was never the same person before. The bright and joyful personality had now changed to a quiet and tough one. The incident had affected all of them in some way or the other but Luhan was hit the most by it.

Sehun and Luhan had started dating, had finally confessed their love for the other and had moved into their own apartment. Luhan was offered a job as a professor at Houka Academy which he gladly accepted. And as for Sehun, he became an official dance instructor at Lay’s dance studio.

Jongin and Kyungsoo, finally had come out of their denial stage and professed their feelings for each other and have been dating for 2 years. Jongin was working as a dance instructor with Sehun and Kyungsoo had opened up a café along with Chen, Baekhyun and Chanyeol.  Suho continued his job as a university professor.

“Sehun. Sehunnie!” Luhan snapped his cute fingers at Sehun.

“Yes baby?”

“Umm… can… can you… ta- taste this?” Luhan stuttered as Sehun called him baby. Even after  three years of being together, Sehun still managed to make Luhan stutter over such things.

Sehun took the spoon from Luhan’s hand and put the food in his mouth.

“Mmm… it’s perfect, baby. Just like you.” Sehun said, turning Luhan into a red tomato. Correction, a _cute_ red tomato. “Why don’t you taste it yourself?”

Sehun leaned towards the cute cook and kissed him right on the lip making him tasting the food.

The doorbell rang, disrupting their small moment and Luhan had never walked so fast in his life, rushed to open the door.

 _Aish! These people had to come at sharp 7 today only?_ Sehun cursed them in his mind.

Sehun jumped off the kitchen counter and walked towards the hall.

 Greetings were exchanged and few minutes later everyone was settled in their usual places. Kyungsoo on Jongin’s lap, Chen on Xiumin’s, Baekhyun and Chanyeol taking the floor and Suho, Lay and Kris sitting on the couch. Sehun occupied the only seat left on the sofa with Jongin and Xiumin and pulled Luhan onto his lap.

Everybody looked at one another, nobody saying anything, the room filled with silence. Every mind thinking about the only person missing there. ZiTao.

Sehun sensed Luhan shiver and pulled him even closer to his body and started drawing circles on Luhan’s palm, which Luhan always found comforting and serene.

“When’s dinner? I am hungry!” Chanyeol broke the silence like always. Baekhyun and Chanyeol were always the one to break such deep silence and change the atmosphere into fun and noisy.

“Let’s eat now. Then we can go for a walk and watch the fireworks.” Lay proposed. Everybody agreed and got up to set the dining table.

Sehun and Luhan had decided to buy a huge dining table that could fit twelve people after considering the fact that most of the get-togethers were at their place.

Everyone was settled and Kris took his usual place at the head of the table. Wine glasses were filled and Kris raised the glass, everyone else following the lead.

Kris cleared his throat and started speaking, “To ZiTao. For being the best companion anybody could ask for.” He paused a bit. A tear escaped Luhan’s eyes. “To ZiTao. For being the best friend anybody could have. To ZiTao. For giving us this opportunity to become his friend and be a part of his life.”

By now, everyone was in tears. Kris continued despite his own tears, “To ZiTao. For being with us in our hearts forever and always.

And to ZiTao. For loving us all more than his own life.”

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So uh.. this is like a side story. Its centered around Kris and Tao's experiences throughout the story.

**KRIS**

"You're giving me a ticket for speeding....on an empty road? You've got to be kidding me." a young, panda-eyed man said, frustrated with the situation at hand.

"Rules are rules Huang-ssi. You're not allowed to go beyond the speed limit."

"But officer...." Tao squinted to read the officer's name tag. "Officer Wu... there's literally no one else on this road. Also... aren't you a little too young to be a police officer?"

"I'm an officer- in training. Here, take this and keep going. I have more important things to do." he handed Tao the ticket and walked away.

"Wow... rude much?" Tao said and drove off.

  


Three weeks and five speeding tickets later, Officer Wu had had enough of the panda-eyed boy.

"He's so annoying hyung... I think he's doing this on purpose." he complained to Xiumin.

"Aww come on Kris, he can't be that bad... anyways... prepare to be amazed." Xiumin said as he dragged Kris into (quote-unquote) the bestest café that ever existed.

They entered the café. It smelled like freshly roasted coffee beans. Kris loved it.

As they walked to the counter, they heard a cheerful voice calling out.

“Xiumin hyung and... officer Wu?" Kris looked up at the barista. Lo and behold, there stood Huang Zitao in all his glory.

_Okay...fate is definitely playing some kind of sick prank on me._

"You know each other?" Xiumin asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.

"Officer Wu and I have bonded over speeding tickets multiple times in the past month." Tao replied with a shit-eating grin on his face.

"It’s nice to see you so un-police-y for once. I mean, not that I don't like you when you're police-y... wait.... Not like that... I don't...." Tao said, a flustered blush taking over his face.

"Heheh... it looks like Tao has a cru~ush... actually... you guys would be really cute together....Tao..ris?" Xiumin said.

"Xiumin hyung... Not that I don't respect you as a hyung but... prepare to die." Kris said, getting ready to punch the daylights out of his hyung.

"Lemme help you with that.. I happen to be an expert at martial arts." Tao said, and all the colour drained from Xiumin’s face.

"Hmmm.... looks like you're not so bad after all. Alright then, let's do this. We mustn't delay his death more than necessary." Kris said.

Tao laughed

"You know what Officer Wu? I get the feeling we're going to be _very_ good friends."

 

( **time skip to a year later)**

Kris walked into his apartment and saw Tao lounging on his sofa. A look around showed that Tao had helped himself to Kris' food and had probably cleared out his refrigerator.

"Zitao... just because I gave you my keys doesn't mean you can walk in whenever you like." Kris reprimanded.

"Welcome home Kreease-ge. Also, I came to feed your fish. They would've died if it weren't for me." Tao said, pouting.

Kris sighed. He was never going to win this argument. "Anyways, I'm going on a date with Chaemin in an hour."

"Chaemin-ssi? Didn't you go out with her last weekend too?" Tao asked curiously

"Yeah and... I think I'm gonna ask her to be my girlfriend."

Tao's face fell

"Your girlfriend?...uhh... that's - that's great... I'm happy for you gege.

"Really? Thanks Tao. You're the best. I'm gonna go get ready now." Kris walked into his room. A smile lighting up his face.

Little did he notice the tears threatening to escape Tao's eyes as he stood in Kris' living room, heartbroken.

 

( **laik 6 months later maybe?)**

Kris came home to an empty apartment. He broke up with Chaemin a few days ago. It wasn't messy. They both realized it wouldn't work. But even after that....why did he feel so empty?

He went to his fish tank to feed Susan and Susan 2 (don't judge. It was Tao's idea). Ever since he started dating Chaemin, Tao had stopped coming over to feed them, so it was his responsibility now.

Maybe...maybe that's why he was lonely? Tao was his best friend after all...

Fifteen minutes later. The front door opened revealing Tao. Speak of the devil.

"Kreeeaase-ge! I heard about... are you-are you okay?"

"Tao... how come you're here? I haven't seen you in so long..." Kris replied.

"Well that's cause you were dating Chaemin-ssi. I figured you wouldn't want me in your apartment 24/7." Tao said, his eyes downcast. "But anyway, how are you feeling?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Let's not talk about that. I wanna watch a movie. Go pick out what you wanna watch."

Tao looked at Kris, flustered and confused at his cheeriness and quick dismissal of the subject.

Nevertheless, he picked out a movie. It was his all-time favourite- _The Confessions of a Shopaholic_

"I knew you'd pick that." Kris said, smiling at Tao.

They both sat on Kris' not-so comfortable couch with a bowl of popcorn between them. Tao was engrossed in the movie, mouthing the words. He practically knew the whole movie by heart.

Kris, having endured watching this movie with Tao over 50 times in the course of almost two years, decided he'd had enough, and drifted off to sleep.

 

Kris was woken up by something soft pressing onto his lips. Was someone.... kissing him? The thought pulled him out of his slumber.

He opened his eyes and saw a wide - eyed Tao staring down at him.

"Kris-ge... I thought you were asleep.. I'm- I'm so sorry. Shit. I don't know why..."

"Tao.. did you just... kiss me? Why would you do that? Did it... did it mean anything? It didn't right? It-it was a mistake wasn't it?" Kris asked, confusion and desperation evident on his face.

"I'm so sorry..." Tao said, his voice a mere whisper. "But... I...I don't regret it."

"Are you saying...."

"I like you gege."

 

 

Ever since Tao's confession, Tao and Kris barely saw each other. When they did, it was at a party or get-together. Even then, their only form of contact was the occasional awkward hello.

To say the least, Kris regretted it. He regretted rejecting Tao. He regretted pushing him away. He regretted being the cause of that broken look on Tao's face. He regretted ruining their friendship or maybe, more than friendship.

But Tao was young and naive. He didn't realize how dangerous Kris' job was. He was no longer just an officer in training who did insignificant jobs. If he and Kris... became something, then Tao would be in danger too.

Also, more importantly, Kris was straight (Yeah rait).

Why was it then, that Tao's safety came first on his list of _'Reasons I can’t date Tao'_ and not his... straightness?

 

 

Having a large group of mutual friends, it wasn’t surprising that information about this event spread like wildfire. And their friends, being the nosy idiots they were did everything in their power to make sure Kris and Tao’s friendship wasn’t destroyed. (Kris was still subject to stink eyes from Luhan and Suho though).

So now, two months later, on a dark and gloomy Friday, Kris was sitting at a table with the other eleven of their gang and Tao’s new boyfriend.

“So Jihyun-ssi, you’re an art major?” Jongdae asked

“Yeah. I am. In fact, the first time I met Tao was when I was coming out of one of my classes.” Tao’s boyfriend said, wrapping an arm around Tao’s shoulder.

 _That would’ve been nice to know if you hadn’t said that five times before._ Kris tried to stop himself from gritting his teeth.

 

 

A few days later, Kris was walking to work with Xiumin, both of them armed with steaming hot coffee.

“So…. What do you think of Tao’s new boyfriend? He seems nice right?” Xiumin asked

Kris growled

“Okay fine. He was a bit annoying. But you can’t complain. You were the one who rejected Tao.”

“I’m not complaining. Tao can date whoever he wants to.”

“Then why do you seem so jealous and possessive huh?”

“It’s just…. Okay, what if, hypothetically, I may return the feelings he has for me. What then? He has a boyfriend now.”

“So tell him. He still likes you, I'm sure of it. It seems like.. he's just dating that guy to get over you.”

Kris sighed, “I should…. But…. Its dangerous. I'm a police officer. I can’t just…. Tell him. Hypothetically, that is”

“Of course you can. I'm a police officer too. And I'm dating Chennie… Plus, he's not a child. He knows what he's getting into. You’re hurting him more by doing this.”

“You’re probably right…. Anyway, we’re here. I’ll see you during lunch.” Kris said, as he walked towards his cubicle.

Kris had a very uneventful day. That is, until he received a message from Xiumin to come to his room saying it was urgent. Little did he know how eventful his day was going to get.

 

 

**……………………………………………………………………………………………………………**

"I'm sorry. He didn't make it."

Silence. Pure silence. He couldn't hear anything and he couldn't really process anything 

He could see Luhan and Sehun shedding tears. Xiumin ushering Jongdae to the bathroom. Baekhyun falling to the ground in despair.

Was it real? It couldn't be. He didn't want it to be. Tao, his Tao, he was... He was gone. He'd never see those panda eyes or that wide grin...ever again.

He walked out. He heard people calling his name, telling him to come back. But he still continued walking.

He locked himself in his apartment for two whole weeks, barely even remembering to eat. He didn't even go to the- to the funeral. He couldn't face it. Face his friends, Tao's parents... He couldn't face reality.

Because it was his fault.

Tao didn't deserve to die. He was too young. He shouldn't have let him come. He should've made sure Tao was safe.

It seemed that... all Kris did to Tao, his whole life, was being him misery. He was such a coward. He didn't even get to tell him... that he loved him. Tao died not knowing that.

It wasn't fair.

 

***three years later***

Kris had finished taking his classes for the day. He and Suho were going to be picked up by Yixing and they were all going to meet up at Sehun and Luhan's for dinner. He waited for Suho in the university's front lawn, watching the students walk by.

There had been a lot of development in his life the past three years. He quit his job as an officer. He knew he was being cowardly but....he couldn't do it anymore. It held too many memories, too many old scars.

He was able to come to terms with Tao's death. He knew he had to face reality. He could never get over the incident though. No one could.

So he was a professor now. He taught criminal law at the Houka Academy. The enjoyed his job, even though his students were brats sometimes. And insisted on being stupid.

His students... they reminded him of Tao. He was around their age when...that happened. He felt closer to Tao when he was with them.

From a distance, he could see Suho's short figure trying to wave him over. He chuckled at his friend's antics and walked over to him.

 

 

The Hunhan house was pleasant as always. They exchanged greetings and some small talk, but sat down to eat pretty quickly because _someone_ (read: Park Chanyeol) couldn't control his hunger.

The table... it was meant for twelve, not eleven. That empty space, it wasn't only at the table, but also in all their lives.

Kris sat at the head of the table, as always, and lifted his glass. He cleared his throat and began to speak, his head a mix of emotions.

“To ZiTao. For being the best companion anybody could ask for.” He paused a bit. A tear escaped Luhan’s eyes. “To ZiTao. For being the best friend anybody could have. To ZiTao. For giving us this opportunity to become his friend and be a part of his life.”

By now, everyone was in tears. Kris continued despite his own tears, “To ZiTao. For being with us in our hearts forever and always.

"And to ZiTao. For loving us all more than his own life.”

The table was meant for twelve, but he wouldn't dwell on it. Because no matter how empty it felt, he knew, deep down that Tao was with him. So he'd carry on, he carry on with his ZiTao in his heart, all day, all night, forever and always.

 ** _We'll carry on_** **** __  
We'll carry on  
And though you're dead and gone believe me  
Your memory will carry on

***dududududuuuuuun***

 


End file.
